Thanks you guys for supporting/tolerating these sponsored posts!
The picture above is my grandparents house in Nebraska, another place that will always be ‘home’ in my heart.
I’m headed to Denver this weekend by myself for a last minute, last hurrah of sorts. I grew up in Littleton, Colorado (mostly) and my mom and step-dad are moving away this fall. This is my trip to go home, go through my things, see some old friends and in essence say good-bye. I don’t get back to Colorado very often, but it’s a place that I hold near and dear to my heart. I’m excited but sorta dreading it at the same time. Going through my old stuff, dredging up long lost relics from my youth and the memories associated with them? I’m preparing for a cry-fest.
Have any of you had to go through your old things and say good bye to home? Was your focus to purge and get rid of stuff, or are you the sentimental type who can’t stand to throw anything out? I’d love to hear your stories, and what if anything, made the process more bearable.
A couple of tips have helped me:
* Keep things that make you happy when you see them.
* If you have a collection of sorts, keep your favorite object and take a picture of the rest.
My parents just moved away from the home I grew up in too! I went through all of the things my mom saved — from pre-school through high school. I'm not sentimental at all, so it wasn't hard for me to get rid of most things. But at the same time, it was really cool to go through things (some of which I'd never seen) and re-live the memories.
I took pictures or scanned some things like old artwork, I threw a lot of junky stuff away (stuff that was cool when I was 15 but not cool now, like my huge box of stickers from all the warped tours I went to), and I kept things like: prom pictures, a couple senior projects, a couple report cards — things I think my kids will like to see when they're a little older.
Good luck! Have fun and remember, a lot of it is just stuff (according to my non-sentimentality 🙂
Take LOTS of pictures. When my parents moved out of my childhood home about 5 years ago I SO regret that I did not go room to room taking pictures. Now it belongs to someone else so of course I can't go back. I never thought I would miss that house so much, but I wish I could just walk in there one last time.
Just last month I had to do the same thing. I agree with all the suggestions especially the one about taking pictures. I did a video of the whole house and yard. Since I won't be going back to the area (everyone I know has passed away or moved) I also took video of my schools and hang outs. It was really bittersweet. I found letters from all of my deceased relatives. I kept some pictures and had fun reading love letters from old boyfriends. My mom saved EVERYTHING! When I asked why she saved all my elementary school papers through high school, she told me it made her feel closer to me. I cried but I also had many laughs too. Don't rush through your stuff. You never know what you might miss. What surprised me was finding a letter and an autographed photo of a San Francisco 49er. I apparently met him and he was obviously quite taken by me. I have ZERO recollection of meeting him. He even wrote me a few times. What's up with that? Oh well. I hope you have a wonderful trip. Stay positive and enjoy your trip down memory lane!
I have been following you blog for over a year i'd say. I am from Littleton!!!!
I had to do that when my parents moved to Abu Dhabi when I was a sophomore in college. It was hard, but the process of going through it all was really essential for me- a rite of passage of some sort. It's hard when your home base is uprooted, but I realized its the relationships, not the places or things that make life so meaningful, and those relationships are eternal. That realization helped me let go of a lot of "stuff". Hang on to the things you'll get a kick out of years from now, and things that will help your kids know the child version of yourself. And yes, take lots of pictures!
I totally get it. Every trip home my mom sends me with more boxes of my things. I can't imagine how hard it will be when my parents leave the house I grew up in . . .
My parents moved to a new house while I was in college. I was born and raised in the house they moved out of. It was SOOO sad. I understand how you feel! I hope it went ok!